


You Can't Hurry Love

by hanbunnotsuki



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-27 19:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12589376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanbunnotsuki/pseuds/hanbunnotsuki
Summary: When Shiro confesses that he feels like something is missing in his life, his best friend and colleague, Matt, insists that what he’s missing is romance, and makes it his mission to find Shiro the love of his life. But we all know love doesn't come all that easily.





	You Can't Hurry Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fic I've written for the [Shiro Big Bang](http://voltronbigbang.tumblr.com/)! It's my first time doing a big bang and I had so much fun with it!
> 
> Lots of love to the artists, [Jenn](http://phd-pepper-jenn.tumblr.com/) and [Lin](http://notimetowastewithapseudo.tumblr.com/) ♥ You guys did such an amazing job with the art!!
> 
> Also, thanks to the lovely [corgioki](https://corgioki.tumblr.com/) who betaed for me ♥

_“Sensei,” Shiro smiles shyly, gently tugging at the hem of his teacher’s apron to get her attention. His other hand is carefully tucked behind his back, hiding his surprise._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hm? What is it Takashi-kun?” The teacher kneels down to meet his eye level, her bright smile prompting Shiro’s own to stretch wider._ _  
_ _  
_ _He likes Sensei’s smile—it makes him feel warm, just like the morning sun._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Um, you see, I have something to tell you.” His eyes shift from side to side, suddenly bashful. Shiro takes out his hand to reveal flowers, bunched in his tiny fist, and offers them to his teacher. “When I grow up, will you marry me?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Oh, Takashi-kun. What beautiful flowers!” The teacher coos, accepting the flowers Shiro himself has carefully picked from the school’s garden. The principal had given him permission and even helped him choose the kind of flowers, tying them up with a pretty ribbon._ _  
_ _  
_ _"You like it?" Shiro's smile transforms into a toothy grin, his cheeks rosy with pride, pleased with the teacher's response._ _  
_ _  
_ _"I love them!" The teacher exclaims wholeheartedly._ _  
_ _  
_ _"Then you'll marry me?" Leaning forward expectantly, Shiro's eyes gleam with hope._ _  
_ _  
_ _"I feel very happy that you feel that way, Takashi-kun," The teacher chuckles, her laugh ringing clear like a bell, unable to contain her mirth. "But maybe you should ask me again when you're older."_ _  
_ _  
_ _The grin falls, his brows furrowing as he takes in the words. Is that a no? He’s not really sure, but he nods anyway, lower lip jutting out in an adorable pout._ _  
_ _  
_ _He’ll have to wait a long time until he grows up._

 

* * *

 

"Hey Shiro, scoot a little for me, will you?"  
  
Shiro chuckles and does as he's told, moving to make space for Matt to sit down. They're at the end of the low table, the nearest to the door that leads to the hallway of the izakaya. The other man squirms his way into his seat, turning his head to give Shiro a grateful grin. "You couldn't have gone for the seats in the middle?"  
  
Matt scoffs, making a face that clearly says ‘are you kidding me?’. "Like I'm going to sit near the bloodsuckers."  
  
"Now now, that's not a polite way to address your superintendents."  
  
"I know you call them that too in your head, Shirogane. Just admit it." Shiro rolls his eyes, huffing out a laugh, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. "Besides, it's easier to slip away from here. And it's closest to the beer."  
  
The company has booked the largest room for their _bounenkai_ —the customary end-of-year party, gathering employees from different departments to mingle and, well, drink themselves silly. Their colleagues are milling about, chatting and jostling around as they take their seats. Before long, everyone is seated and the first round of drinks have gone around.  
  
"Hey, have you guys heard of the rumour?"  
  
"What rumour?" Matt asks back.  
  
"There's going to be a new recruit around here, a transfer from the London HQ." The man who Shiro recognises as Hopkins from the marketing department replies.  
  
"That's unusual," Shiro remarks, casually holding his own beer. "They usually time transfers to be coincident with the spring employment season."  
  
The company they're working for, Altea Corporation, is a multinational IT company which originates in the UK, employing people in various countries all over the world. Their Tokyo branch may consist of workers of many different nationalities, but they normally adhere to the Japanese way of things.  
  
"Yeah, but hear this. They say that the chick transferring here is the CEO's daughter!"  
  
"Really? Huh." Shiro's met the CEO before when the man made a visit to their branch, not long after he joined the company.  
  
Alfor Altea is a tall, charismatic man whose commanding presence always captures the attention of everybody in the room. He is relatively young to be the CEO of a company of their scale, but from what Shiro’s heard, he stays humble and treats his employees exceptionally well. Many people who have had the chance to meet him have nothing but praises and respect for the man. Shiro may not have interacted with him beyond a handshake and a greeting, but he holds their CEO in quite the high esteem.  
  
"Speaking of the devil," Hopkins mutters.  
  
“Everyone, if I may have your attention please?” The branch managing director stands and raises his voice, quieting the crowd of employees in the room. “We're here to celebrate the end of another year, and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work.  
  
"Now, I’m not going to make a long speech—I know you’re not here to hear me prattle on; you’re all here just for your long-awaited bonus and the free-flow drinks." He says that while gesturing to the glass of beer in his hand, eliciting a chorus of laughter and cheer from the group. "But putting that aside, I would like to use the opportunity to introduce a new member to our team, who shall join us in the coming new year: Ms Allura Altea!"  
  
A woman who was sitting next to the branch director and was hidden from Shiro’s line of sight stands up, directing a polite smile across the room. Shiro can definitely see the resemblance. Ms Altea looks a lot like her father. Not just physically, but also down to the confident, piercing blue eyes that doesn’t waver the slightest, and the regal way she holds herself.  
  
_She’s beautiful._ Shiro thinks in passing.  
  
There’s a hush of whispers that quickly dies down to give way to a series of welcoming claps that fills the whole room. Ms Altea nods once to accept the welcome, her smile still in place, before kneeling down to regain her seat, withdrawing from the spotlight. The clapping fades and all eyes are once again on the branch director.  
  
“We’re all very excited to have you, Ms Altea. Now!” The branch director raises his beer up. “Drink up, you lot! May we all have a happy new year! _Kanpai_!”  
  
“ _Kanpai_!” Everyone echoes the director, raising their own glasses up in a toast before taking a gulp.  
  
The room then falls into a mess of chatter and laughter, their volume rapidly turns roaring as more and more people get drunk. Shiro lets a slight smile to form as he takes in the atmosphere. He’s never one for general rowdiness, but he can only feel fond when he sees all his colleagues letting loose.  
  
Someone quickly ropes him into a conversation, and he lets himself be pulled into the familiar rhythm of replying to questions and responding to jokes thrown at him.  
  
“Hey, Shiro!” Someone claps Shiro’s shoulder, startling him enough to make him pause in the middle of his sentence. “Heard that your project got the green light! Good job, man!”  
  
“As you’d expect from the rising star of the R &D department!” Another person jumps in, this time a more feminine voice, slapping Shiro’s back. “It’s a wonder how you can convince those old coots. Well done!”  
  
Before Shiro can even identify them, the two have already gone away, leaving a bewildered Shiro scrambling to splutter out a ‘thanks’ to the unsuspected praise.  
  
“Look at Mr ~~~~Popular.” Turning at the lilt of Matt’s all-too-familiar teasing, Shiro scrunches up his face into an embarrassed glare.  
  
“Oh, shut up.” He takes another sip from his beer, ignoring his friend’s waggling eyebrows.  
  
“He’s got the looks, he’s got the brains. He’s got the body, to boot. No wonder people throw themselves at the feet of the one and only, Shirogane Takashi!” Matt says in an exaggerated tone, as Shiro attempts to ignore his antics even harder. “No one can stand his smouldering eyes! Even children and the elderly are not safe from his charm–”  
  
“Matt quit it!” Shiro hisses in warning, heat spreading across his cheek and down his neck.  
  
“Do you have any tips for us mere mortals, Mr Oh-So-Perfect?”  
  
“I’m warning you. You know how much I hate it when you talk like that.”  
  
“Oh, I know.” Matt stares straight into Shiro’s eyes as if to goad him, his lips slowly stretching into a sly grin. “Someone needs to put you in check once in a while, big man.”  
  
“How is this ‘putting me in check’?” Shiro grumbles under his breath, trying to will away the blush that has decided to stay on his face. “And why do you keep calling me those things? I’m far from—what did you say? Perfect?”  
  
“But aren’t you?” The snacks are being passed around now, and Matt helps himself to a large piece of _karaage_.  
  
“You’re exaggerating things,” Shiro rolls his eyes makes a dismissing motion with his hand. “Can we talk about something else?”  
  
“Nope!” Matt says all too cheerfully, to Shiro’s chagrin. “I like watching you squirm when people give you compliments.”  
  
“Oh god, not this again.” Shiro groans.  
  
“But honestly, though. Putting your looks and personality aside—which are flawless, I assure you—you graduated from a top university, got into a big company with good salary, and are doing well in your career. I’d say your life is near damn perfect, don’t you think?”  
  
“I wouldn’t say that,” Shiro says before trying to hide his face behind his drink.  
  
“No?” Matt tilts his head in question, raising both his eyebrows.  
  
“Don’t you think those qualifications are a kind of superficial way to judge a person? A person’s worth is not based on how well they relatively do in their life.” Shiro frowns, taking one of the _kushiyaki_ from the plate and bites into it. The flavourful taste of grilled chicken and onion washes down his tongue, and he pairs it with another gulp of his beer. “And it doesn’t say anything about _my_ life.”  
  
“Oooh, I recognise that glum face. You’ve been asking the big questions again, haven’t you?” Matt points a finger at him accusingly, the end going near the tip of Shiro’s nose. Shiro backs away before Matt can boop him. “Questions like ‘what is the purpose of your life’, or ‘is there a meaning to what you do in your life’, or shits like that. Must be the closing of yet another year getting to you. That’s okay, I’m all ears. Let Mr Holt hear what your poor soul is agonising over right now.”  
  
“Do you have to be dramatic for everything?” Shiro chuckles before turning silent in contemplation, his smile becoming wistful. “But yeah, along those lines. I mean, I suppose my life is comparatively going well compared to other people. But there’s just this something… Something that I feel like I’m missing out on. I just can’t figure out what it is.”  
  
“So you’re not satisfied with your life. Is that what you’re saying?”  
  
“I guess? I don’t know.” Shiro props his elbow on top of the table, resting cheek on his hand with a sigh. “As you said, I should have everything I need in life. I have a fulfilling job that I like, I’m surrounded by great friends and great colleagues. I don’t have a bad relationship with my family. It feels greedy to ask for more, but I still feel like it lacks something.”  
  
“I’d say being greedy is just human nature, but I’m actually quite surprised to hear this coming from you. Lacking something, huh?” Matt chews on his bottom lip, his eyes locked onto Shiro as if appraising him. His eyes then widen. “Wait. I think I’ve got it–”  
  
“Can I get everyone’s attention? I have an announcement to make!”  
  
Both Matt and Shiro swivel their heads at the exclamation, turning their attention to Redding from Human Resource, who has a goofy grin plastered on his bright red face.  
  
“I’d like to share some–” Redding hiccups and giggles, swaying on his feet, his beer sloshing and spilling to the floor. “–some good news! I’m gonna _get_ _married_!”  
  
A raucous whoop of cheer and whistles thunder through the air, people shouting their congratulations and their condolences over the groom-to-be’s loss of singlehood.  
  
“Have a happy and long one, man!”  
  
“Careful not to get too whipped by the missus!”  
  
Shiro claps at the announcement, laughing at the more ridiculous exclamations of wishes. If he remembers correctly, Redding’s girlfriend—fiancee, now—is a local Japanese woman. International marriage, especially to the local Japanese people, is not an uncommon occurrence in their company, so the guy must at least know what he’s getting himself into.  
  
Shiro can still remember how his father repeatedly complained over how little pocket money he got monthly throughout the years, ever since he was a child. Fathers may still be the majority of breadwinners in Japanese families, but mothers are the ones who manage the household finance. And they are well-known to be very strict.  
  
“That’s it, Shiro. That’s what you’re missing!”  
  
“What is?” Shiro whips his head back to Matt, whose eyes are gleaming.  
  
“Romance! The thing you’re missing is romance!” Matt bursts out, flailing his hand around in excitement. “I’ve known you for how long now? Ever since we started working here? And I’ve never seen you be in a relationship even once.”  
  
“Our work is too demanding to handle one, Matt. You know that.”  
  
“And despite that, Redding managed to snag a wife. Do you even remember the last time you’ve dated someone?”  
  
Shiro’s silence is answer enough. He racks through his brain, but he just can’t pinpoint the last time he went on a date. As a new employee, he had worked hard and focused on getting the hang of things. And when he had gotten the hang of things, he was entrusted to be responsible for even more work. Shiro barely has a life outside of his work. Perhaps the last time was when he was in university?  
  
“See my point? Actually, _have_ you dated someone before?”  
  
“I have, a couple of times,” Shiro replies. “Though they didn’t last very long. Looking back, I probably didn’t put too much effort into them.”  
  
“What, are you not interested in dating in general?” Matt tilts his head curiously.  
  
It’s not that Shiro’s not interested. He was very much so when he was brimmed with teenage curiosity, just like other guys of his age at the time. But that curiosity faded with time, especially when Shiro found out that having a girlfriend can get very demanding, and overall is just too much of a hassle.  
  
He shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not uninterested, but I have fun with my friends as I do now. And that’s enough for me now.”  
  
“Shiro, you only hang out with me. You have fun when you _work_ , you miserable workaholic.” Matt flicks an edamame at him. Shiro tries to duck, but the small bean hits his chest, bouncing off to the floor. “Maybe you just don’t realise that romance is what you want right now. Maybe you just haven’t met _the one_.”  
  
“I think the concept of having ‘ _the one_ ’” Shiro air quotes, “is a little overrated. I have an uncle who stays single well into his middle age, and he’s perfectly happy with his life.”  
  
“And this is exactly why you all have a population problem. Japan needs more people to make babies. But getting back to the point,” Matt shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively. “You said yourself that you don’t know what that missing thing is. The least you could do is try stuff. One way to do that is by going back into the dating scene.”  
  
“I’m not sure about that… Maybe I should pick up a hobby.”  
  
“So tell me your type.” Matt goes on, pointedly ignoring Shiro’s remark. “Do you prefer cute or beautiful girls? Or maybe the sporty type? Older or younger?”  
  
“Cut it out, Matt.”  
  
“Oh, or would you prefer men? I can introduce you to a few people in Nichoume.”  
  
“I know this is just you wanting to play matchmaker. I’m not buying it.”  
  
“Don’t be like that! I just want to see my best friend happy!” His eyes widening comically, Matt presses a hand against his chest, feigning shock. “By helping him find a significant other, of course.”  
  
“I’m going to ignore you. I’m ignoring you right now.” Shiro presses the palm of his hand on the table, leaning his weight on it to haul himself up.  
  
“Oh come on, Shiro!”  
  
“Nope.”

 

* * *

 

Shiro is on his way back from the restroom when he spots a figure lingering next to the door of their reserved room. As he draws nearer, he recognises the figure to be Ms Altea. She is staring down at the floor, absently tucking a stray curl behind her ear, looking pensive. Her eyes flutter close as she heaves out a sigh.  
  
“Long night?”  
  
Her head snaps up at Shiro’s voice, and the eyes that meet his flash with surprise for a brief second. Shiro watches as she then quickly composes herself, aiming a courteous smile at him. “Yes, quite.”  
  
“Occasions like this do tend to drag on. You should try to get away before they make you go to the next place for a second round.” Shiro steps closer and is now standing next to her, leaning his back against the wall.  
  
“They still intend to go for another round? Even though it’s already this late? Dear god.”  
  
Her incredulous tone makes Shiro chuckle, and the line of her smile shifts, transforming it into something more sincere. Up close, Shiro can tell that Ms Altea is also a people-person, like her father. There’s something about her that makes you want to approach and talk to her.  
  
“The sun may set and rise again and they’d still be chugging down their drinks and insist on another round if no one stops them.” She lets out a laugh at that, her chin dipping down the slightest. “Where are my manners? I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Takashi Shirogane. I’m from the Research and Development Department.”  
  
“And I’m Allura Altea, soon-to-be member of the Human Resource department.” She reaches out to grab Shiro’s proffered hand, shaking it firmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you…sorry, would you prefer me calling you Takashi or Shirogane? I’ve read that Japanese people prefer to be addressed by their family name but I wouldn’t want to presume.”  
  
“Just Shiro is fine, Ms Altea. And the pleasure is mine.”  
  
“Alright then, Shiro. And please, call me Allura.” Another lock of platinum white hair falls to her face, and Allura pulls her hand back to push it back into place.  
  
“So, Allura. How are you finding Tokyo?”  
  
“It’s fine, though I’d be lying if I say I’m not exhausted.” She stretches her arm over her head, as if to prove her point, then slumps back against the wall again with a tired sigh. “Moving across countries can be such a trial. Not to mention having to deal with the language barrier at the same time.”  
  
Shiro hums in sympathy. He can still remember the time when he moved out of his childhood home to attend university in another prefecture. Hectic is not a strong enough word to describe the experience. And that’s only across prefectures.  
  
“I can only imagine. It must take quite some time to settle in. How long has it been since you’ve arrived in Japan?”  
  
“Not very long, only a week or so. The transfer was on short notice, so I didn’t have much time to prepare.” Crossing her arms, Allura huffs out a puff of breath, her shoulders tensing. “I’ve been trying to read articles online regarding culture and etiquettes in Japan. But I don’t know how accurate they are and I wouldn’t want to unintentionally be rude to anybody.”  
  
“You can come to any of us if you need help on that subject. Or on anything, really. We’d be glad to be of assistance.”  
  
“That is very kind of you, I might just hold you to your words. I’m guessing I’m going to need all the help I can get to adapt in here.” The smile Allura sends him now is grateful, if a little weary. But Shiro can see the determination burning in her eyes. “Oh. And please, don’t let me keep you. You can go back in first if you’d like.”  
  
Shiro’s not so eager to leave this conversation they’re having. Not when it means he has to leave the deserted hall and go back to the endless chatter and laughter of his colleagues, and to the persistent reek of alcohol permeating the air. And also back to deal with Matt’s attempts at meddling.  
  
But the party will break up soon, and people will be wondering where they are.  
  
“I don’t mind, it’s a nice break from being in there,” Shiro assures. “Though we probably should head back in soon.”  
  
Allura groans. “Do we really have to?”  
  
“Sadly, we do.” Shiro pushes himself off the wall, stepping closer to the door and slides it open. “Ladies first?”  
  
“I’ve never liked that statement,” Allura mutters loud enough for him to hear, making Shiro laugh, as she marches in anyway.

 

* * *

 

  
The New Year’s break comes and goes in the blink of an eye.  
  
Ever since he was a child, Shiro has always liked the new year’s the most out of all celebrations. The peaceful feeling of gathering around the table with his family at night, watching the end of year TV specials while listening to the gentle sound of the temple bell chime; going to the shrine at dawn to pay their respects to the gods, and asking for their blessings for yet another year.  
  
The charm of it has never gone away, and so Shiro takes a few days of paid leave to make his stay at his parent’s house just a little bit longer. But even then, the visit ends all too quickly.  
  
“I wish you could visit us more.” His mother has sighed when it’s time for him to leave. The sentiment has been repeated every year since Shiro started living on his own.  
  
“I’ll try to,” Shiro says in a firm tone, accepting the bag filled with food containers his mother insists he brings back home with him. They’re all packed with his favourite dishes. “And I promise I’ll call.”  
  
And now Shiro is back in his cubicle, working on stack after stack of documents. Back to the never-ending overtime and drinking parties.  
  
_Doing nothing but eating and sleeping for days had spoiled me_ , Shiro thinks fleetingly, as his hand types on auto-pilot. A yawn threatens to escape, but he manages to cover it in time. The cold of winter doesn’t help him from feeling lethargic. _I should work out more to make up for it, lengthen my jogging time._ _  
__  
_ “‘sup, Shiro?”  
  
Shiro looks up, blinking sleepily at Matt’s mischievous grin. “Hey, Matt.”  
  
“Come on, get your ass up. It’s time for lunch.” Shiro checks his watch at Matt’s declaration, and indeed, it’s already noon. Casting a quick glance around makes him realize that they’re the last two in the room.  
  
“The cafeteria?” Shiro asks, hoping that they wouldn’t have to leave the building. This year’s winter is forecasted to be colder than last year’s, and Shiro can feel it every single time he has to brave the chilly weather. He avoids going out if he could.  
  
“The cafeteria. It’s windy outside, and I’m not planning to freeze myself to death.” Matt replies, starting to move when he sees that Shiro’s ready to go.  
  
“At least it’s not snowing yet.”  
  
Matt immediately winces at Shiro’s words. “And let’s hope that it won’t.”  
  
Snow in Tokyo is a source of nightmares for pedestrians. New snow is nice and soft, and people love watching as it falls, turning the city into a winter wonderland. But when the snow melts and refreezes into patches of dirty, slippery ice, that’s where the horror begins. Even if you’re wearing a good pair of boots, you’ll have a good chance of falling over if you don’t watch where you’re stepping. Shiro had witnessed Matt stumbling and falling on his butt several times one winter, and the experience had caused the other man to develop an aversion to snowy winters.  
  
Shiro just hums in agreement.  
  
When they get to the cafeteria, it’s already bustling with people. They both order their meals, two delicious bowls of ramen to warm up their bodies and get to snag themselves seats before long.  
  
“So, about that thing we were talking about a while back,” Matt says, after swallowing a mouthful of noodle.  
  
“What thing?” Shiro tilts his head slightly, having no idea about what Matt is referring to. They haven’t seen each other since Shiro went to his parents’ place, and the texts they’ve sent to each other only consist of new year’s greetings and trivial conversations.  
  
“That thing where we’re going to find you romance.” Matt’s grin is back in place, and Shiro can’t imagine anything good coming out from this.  
  
“I thought I’ve told you we’re not going to discuss that anymore.”  
  
“You did say that, and I did not agree to it,” Matt says cheekily, his smile growing even wider. “In fact, I’ve arranged a _goukon_ for us to go.”  
  
“You did _what_?”  
  
“Hey, Allura! Come and sit with us here!” Suddenly raising his hand in an abrupt wave, Matt looks away to avoid Shiro’s glare.  
  
“Hi, Matt. Hi, Shiro.” Allura greets them as she sets her plate down next to Matt’s bowl, settling into the seat next to him. She’s clad in a formal work suit, and her hair is done up in a neat bun.  
  
“Hello, Allura.” Changing his scowl into a neutral smile, Shiro greets back. “So, you two already know each other?”  
  
“Yeah, I invited her over to spend the new year’s together, after the _bounenkai_.” At Shiro’s raised eyebrows, Matt just shrugs. “You know how desolate the streets here can be, during the first few days of the year. Can’t leave the poor woman alone when she’s just moved here.”  
  
“And I am thankful for the invite. Your family is very lovely.” Allura adds.  
  
“It’s no big deal.” Matt puts his chopsticks down to take a sip of water. “The more the merrier, right?”  
  
“What did you do during to celebrate the new year’s, Shiro?” Allura turns to face him.  
  
“I went back to my hometown and visited my parents.” Shiro answers. “We didn’t do anything special, but it’s nice to have their company. We did visit the shrine, though.”  
  
“We did that too! There was a word for it, wasn’t there? _Hatsumoude_ —the first visit to the shrine?” Allura turns to Shiro for confirmation, and he nods. “There were quite a lot of people there, and they had this little festival going on in the shrine’s precinct, with lots of different food stands. It was fascinating.”  
  
“That sounds great. Which shrine did you go to?” Shiro asks.  
  
“We went to Meiji Jingu, so it’s also partly sightseeing.” It’s Matt who answers, gesturing with his chopsticks. “By the way, are you doing anything this Friday night, Allura?”  
  
“Nothing in particular, no.”  
  
“Sweet. Are you up for a _goukon_? Shiro and I will be joining too, of course.”  
  
“Hey, I never agreed to that!” Shiro speaks up in protest, narrowing his eyes at Matt. His friend might look soft-spoken and unassuming at first, but Matt Holt can be a force to be reckoned with when he’s made up his mind on something.  
  
“What’s a _goukon_?” Allura asks.  
  
“A _goukon_ is basically a group mixer. You get the same number of guys and girls to hang out and see if any of them match up and become a couple. That’s the usual purpose for the whole thing, though you can go just to meet new people, make some friends.” Matt explains to clarify, before shifting his eyes back to Shiro. “And you don’t get to say no, Shiro. I’m doing this for your sake. Even your mother is worried that you’ve been working too much. You need to go out more.”  
  
“Have you been talking to my mother again?” Shiro sighs, knowing he’s already defeated.  
  
“The topic came up when I called to give her my new year’s greeting.” Matt then turns back to Allura, arching an eyebrow in question. “So, how about it?”  
  
“Sure, why not! Sounds pretty interesting.”  
  
“It’s decided, then!” Matt beams in victory, clapping his hands together. “Friday it is!”  
  
Already thinking up excuses to skip on Friday, Shiro considers several safe places for him to hide in. But he knows Matt will find him one way or another and drag him out, regardless. There’s no escape.  
  
Shiro rubs his face, accepting his fate, and heaves out another sigh.

 

* * *

 

 _“Shiro-kun, I’ve liked you for a long time! Will you go out with me?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _In an instant, Shiro’s heart is pounding, pumping adrenaline throughout his body._ _  
_ _  
_ _He’s in the school’s backyard, called out by an anonymous love letter that was slipped into his shoe box this morning. His friends had teased him for it the whole day, and though Shiro brushed them off, he couldn’t help but daze off during class, imagining who the mysterious sender could be._

  _Shiro got his answer when he sees Kuroda-san from the class next door approaching him at the appointed place after school. She looked nervous, fingers fidgeting, a blush colouring her cheeks._

 _Even though Shiro had expected the confession, having read the love letter and all, hearing it out loud still creates quite the impact._ _  
_ _  
_ _“It’s okay not to answer now, you can think about it first.” Kuroda-san shyly says, peering up at Shiro through her eyelashes._ _  
_ _  
_ _“No! I mean, yes!” Shiro cries out in a fluster, shaking his head to compose himself before trying again. “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro is very excited. No, excited is an understatement. Shiro is beyond thrilled._ _  
_ _  
_ _His very first girlfriend._ _  
_ _  
_ _The novelty of being in a relationship makes Shiro giddy. Kuroda-san texts him a lot, and gives him phone calls, from time to time. She visits him in his class during breaks, and they have lunch together in the schoolyard. She even invites him to go on their first date to the zoo._ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro is still on a high when the statement suddenly drops, not long after they started dating._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Shiro-kun, I want to break up.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro was about to take a bite from his bread, but hearing the words coming out of Kuroda-san’s mouth leaves him gaping instead._ _  
_ _  
_ _“What? Why?” Shiro asks, dumbfounded._ _  
_ _  
_ _“I feel that it’s always me, giving an effort into this relationship.” Kuroda-san’s eyes are sad and reproaching at the same time, and Shiro still can’t understand where this is coming from. “I don’t feel like you like me at all. I think it’s better for us to break up. I’m sorry.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _And with that, Kuroda-san packs up her lunchbox and takes off, leaving a dumbstruck Shiro staring in her wake._ _  
  
_

* * *

 

“So Shiro, what do you usually do in your spare time?”  
  
“Your drink’s running out. Here, let me refill it for you!”  
  
“Do you want another helping of salad?”  
  
Making sure to give all of them a polite response, Shiro braves on with a strained smile. He can feel the edge of his mouth going stiff from all the smiling he’s been forcing himself to do. This is why he’s never liked going to _goukons_.  
  
The girls Matt had invited are from a mixture of departments in their company. A handful Shiro recognises, but most he’s not acquainted with. And with the exception of Allura, all of the girls there are Japanese.

 _I didn’t tell him my preference because I don’t have any, so I guess he’s bound to make a safe bet first._  
  
Even if they are generally open-minded, not all Japanese men are willing to be in a relationship with foreigners. Hence, Matt’s choice for today’s ensemble.  
  
“We wouldn’t even bother if we knew Shiro’s coming.” Shiro catches one of the guys muttering scornfully. He’s not sure if the person intentionally said it loud enough for Shiro to hear, but it’s enough to make him wince internally.  
  
_Believe me, if I have the option not to attend, I wouldn’t._ Shiro doesn’t say his reply out loud, but he wishes he has the courage to.  
  
Shiro considers himself to be perfectly average—just another boring salaryman like hundreds and thousands of others out there. But he’s not so oblivious that he’s not aware of the attention he gets from women. He’s pretty sure the main cause of it is just his height; standing above the Japanese average seems to give you instant popularity points here.  
  
“Shiro~” The girl sitting opposite Shiro calls his name in a singsong voice, leaning forward in what seems to be an attempt to show off her cleavage. “What kind of girl is your type?”  
  
Shiro carefully keeps his gaze to fall on the area above her neck before dodging the question with a laugh. “I’m actually not sure myself, so who knows?” The girl pouts at his vague answer but refuses to back down from his indifference. She leans forward even more, widening her eyes innocently and fluttering her eyelashes.

“So does that mean I have a chance?” Shiro just gives her a placid smile, pulling back just before her fingers can reach his.

“I wonder about that.” The eager look on the girl’s face is gone in an instant, replaced by a cold frown and an indignant sniff. Finally leaving Shiro alone, she moves on to talk to the guy sitting next to her.  
  
Casting a glance at the end of the table, Shiro glimpses Matt talking animatedly to one of the girls. At least one of them is having a good time. Shiro turns to look at the other end, but Allura is nowhere to be found. Probably off to the restroom. _Which is a really good idea._  
  
“If you’ll excuse me,” Shiro says to no one in particular, standing up and marching away from the table.  
  
As soon as he’s out of their sight, Shiro stops on his track, shuts his eyes and lets out the longest sigh he can manage. _This is even more draining than going out drinking with the higher-ups._ He pinches the bridge of his nose, rubbing the part where he can feel a headache coming. Even with closed eyes, he hopeful and sometimes predatory eyes of the girls are still haunting him. _I’d rather do unpaid overtime than this._  
  
“Fancy running into you here.” When Shiro lowers his hand and opens his eyelids, he finds Allura regarding him with an amused smile. Her presence is like a breath of fresh air, and Shiro feels himself relaxing, unfurling the muscles he didn’t even realise was getting tense. “It’s funny how we keep meeting like this. Hiding from the others?”  
  
“Something like that,” Shiro scratches his cheek, grinning sheepishly. “And you? Are you enjoying the _goukon_ ?”  
  
“To be honest? I’m really not. The guys are hesitant to talk to me, and the girls… I don’t know,” Allura shrugs one shoulder and shakes her head. “They’re friendly enough, but their smiles don’t reach their eyes. It’s a little bit intimidating, actually. Not sure if this is the best place to find friendship.” Some girls do treat _goukons_ as a battlefield, competing to get the guy they’re after. And this particular group seemed quite...zealous. “What about you? Why are you hiding? You looked like you were quite popular with the girls back there.”  
  
“Ah. It gets overwhelming sometimes. _Goukons_ are not really my thing.”  
  
“You’re not going to pick up a girl?” Allura quirks an eyebrow up, her blue eyes glint teasingly. “But they’re all very pretty. Such a waste.”  
  
A nervous laugh escapes Shiro’s mouth, “Perhaps not today.”  
  
Allura hums in acknowledgement, tilting her head to sneak a peek at their table. “How long are these _goukons_ usually?”

“Officially? Only after the meal is done. But people do tend to go to the karaoke or to a bar for a second round.” 

“You Japanese like to stretch events a lot, huh?” Allura quips, peering up at him in incredulity.  
  
Shiro chuckles at her expression, “We do, don’t we?”  
  
“Guess we’ll have to wait until they’re done here until we can leave,” Allura sighs, walking past Shiro to go back to their table, her steps heavy. An idea suddenly forms in Shiro’s head.  
  
“Actually, we don’t have to,” Shiro says. Allura pauses to look at back at Shiro, eyebrows raised in question. “We can go now if you want. That is, if you don’t mind them talking.”  
  
“What do you mean? Talking about what?”  
  
“If we tell them that we’re leaving first, they’ll assume that we’ll be leaving as a couple,” Shiro explains, “And rumours travel fast, especially within a company.”  
  
“Oh. In that case, just let them talk. I don’t care much about that. Will you be okay with it?” Shiro nods his head in an affirmative. People’s rumours only last for seventy-five days after all. And the sooner he can leave the better. “Good. Let’s go, then!”

 

* * *

 

In the years of his life, Shiro has gotten used to having eyes on him.  
  
As a child, he was always appointed to be the main character in class dramas. When he was the student president in school, he had had to give speeches in front of the school body. And for his work, he has to give presentations while having his colleagues and supervisors’ gaze trained on him. Throughout them all, Shiro had been able to maintain his calm and remain collected.  
  
But now, with Allura’s arm looped around his, being the receiving end of a handful of piercing stares from his coworkers leaves Shiro fidgeting and avoiding meeting their eyes.  
  
“You’re going to leave? Now? The two of you?” Matt sounds dubious, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two. “Together?”  
  
“Yes!” Allura answers simply, beaming at the rest of them, making a show of sidling up to Shiro. Apparently, Allura’s motto is go all out or go home. Or in this case, go all out to go home. Convince the rest of them, and no one will question or stop them from leaving. Shiro hopes he’s putting on his most convincing smile right now.  
  
It’s a very reasonable plan, though Shiro’s sure Matt is not fooled. While the others are gawking, his friend’s sharp eyes linger on him, telling him that he _knows_ Shiro is trying to escape his machinations.  
  
“Then I guess we’ll see you guys at work on Monday,” Matt says, still sending Shiro pointed looks all of which he ignores.  
  
“You guys have fun for the rest of the night,” Shiro adds, dipping his chin in a nod. “See you on Monday.”  
  
After exchanging a few more goodbyes and despite protests from several girls, Shiro and Allura leave enough money for their share of the bill and are safely out of the restaurant’s door in no time. The moment the cool night air hits them, they turn to face each other and stare. Shiro doesn’t know who is first, but they both suddenly start giggling.  
  
“Did you see their faces?” Allura releases her arm from Shiro’s to loop her scarf around her neck, protecting it from the chill that is starting to creep onto their skin. Without saying a word, they both make their way to the nearest train station. “The girls were so upset!”  
  
“And the guys looked at me like I was out of my mind,” Shiro chuckles.  
  
“Making a move on the boss’ daughter so quickly? Whatever are they going to say about you, Shirogane Takashi?” Allura waggles her eyebrows at him, causing Shiro to bark out a laugh.  
  
“Oh no. Whatever am I going to do?” Shiro gasps to add to the dramatic effect, playing along.

“My, my. How daring of you,” Allura goes on, holding back her giggles. “Think about how it’s going to affect your career!”

“Let’s hope the rumour won’t ever reach your father, then,” Shiro says, only partly joking.

“It doesn’t matter even if my father does hear about it. People say things about me all the time,” The cold turns Allura’s breath white as she talks, the mirth dancing in her eyes turning pensive. “And it’s my problem, not my father’s.”  
  
Shiro glances at Allura’s profile, taking in her features. Beautiful and headstrong, Shiro can’t help but admire her. Being the CEO’s daughter might have given her certain privileges, but it certainly doesn’t look like it comes without its own grievances. Shiro has an idea about labels and how they affect the way people around you. He wonders what Allura has gone through until now.  
  
“Even so, all fathers must worry about their daughters.”  
  
“Of course he does, he just keeps his affections private. Won’t want talk of favouritism to go around, you see. Ah, here we are,” Allura announces as the station comes into sight. Waves after waves of people swarm inside, a horde of office workers just finished with their overtime, rushing to catch their trains. " _Oh_ !"  
  
Shiro reflexively catches the toppling Allura, wrapping an arm around her waist to help balance her.  
  
"Watch where you're going!"  
  
After glancing a quick look to make she's alright, Shiro looks up to glare at the drunkard who bumped into her. "I believe you're the one who should watch where you're going."  
  
"What did you say?! It's clear that the _gaijin_ is the one who crashed into me!" The old man shouts, his voice much louder than necessary with their close proximity, completely red in the face and reeking of alcohol.  
  
"Sir, if you don't stop this now, I will call the station attendant," Shiro warns, stone-faced. He'd rather not make a scene, but if the man continues on, Shiro would drag the man there himself.  
  
There are quite a few people watching them in concern, and when the drunk man senses their attention, he grumbles incoherently and walks away. Shiro sighs out in relief, pulling his arm back to his side.  
  
"Drunks," Allura spits out, scoffing, "I wish I knew enough Japanese to give that man a few words. Thank you for telling him off in my stead, Shiro."  
  
"I'm sorry you had to experience that," Shiro says gravely. Allura might not have understood what the man had said, but it was still an unacceptable experience. Most Japanese gets drunk responsibly, but here and there, a few bad-mannered drunks still prowl.  
  
"Not your fault. It just means I need to be more careful from now on," Allura shakes her head with a strained smile. It only makes Shiro even more worried. Though the streets of Tokyo are relatively safe, who knows what else can happen to her? He knows it's merely the earlier event feeding into the unreasonable paranoia, but Shiro can't help it.  
  
"You know what? Just to be safe, let me walk you home,” Shiro offers.  
  
"That won't be necessary. I'll be fine." Allura waves Shiro's concern aside, giving him a stubborn look. "It was just one drunk."  
  
"Please, I insist. It's getting pretty late." Shiro says, equally wilful and refusing to yield.  
  
"And because it's late, you really shouldn't. You'll miss the last train," Allura argues back.  
  
"It won't be a problem. If I remember right, you mentioned your place is not far from Matt's?" Shiro is sure it came up once when they were talking during one of their shared lunches. At Allura's hesitant nod, Shiro continues. "I live not far from that area, so I can walk from there." Shiro actually lives a few kilometres away, but he can still walk home, so it's not exactly a lie.  
  
"Honestly though, you don't have to do this..." Allura says, and though she still looks unsure, Shiro can tell she's giving in.  
  
"See it as doing me a favour. I'll feel better if I know for sure you got home safely," Shiro presses on.  
  
"Oh, alright." Allura finally acquiesces, huffing and shaking her head disbelievingly at Shiro. "People who called _me_ difficult surely haven't met you before."  
  
Shiro laughs at the jab and they both walk into the station in companionable silence.

 

* * *

 

When Shiro gets back home, the first thing he does is check his phone.  
  
Unsurprisingly, there is a string of notifications, almost all of them telling him that he has a new message from Matt. Shiro swipes the screen, unlocking his phone to open his LINE. There are a few other messages from names that he recognises as the girls from earlier, but Shiro ignores them to open his chatroom with Matt first. 

**Matt Holt**

What the hell was that??? 21:47  
Is there something going on that you're not telling me? 21:47  
Or did you just run away on me 21:48  
(angry sticker) 21: 48  
The girls were not happy, Shiro 22:00  
I had to give them your LINE contact to appease them 22:00  
(I don't care sticker) 22:01

Shiro puts his bag down and takes a seat, typing his reply.

23:44 Hey, that's a breach of my privacy! >:(  
23:44 And no, there's nothing going on. I just cleverly escaped :P

  
The 'read' marks appear next to Shiro's sent messages, informing him that Matt has opened their chatroom.  
  
(angry sticker) 23:44  
(angry sticker) 23:44  
(angry sticker) 23:44  
You won’t escape next time, Shirogane. You better be prepared. 23:45  
  
Shiro only sends him a good night sticker as a reply, snickering when he gets a spam of stickers from Matt in return. Feeling lazy, Shiro turns on the television and channel-surf until he finds an interesting program to watch, not planning to move for a little while. When his eyelids start feeling heavy, Shiro then finally changes out of his clothes and starts his nightly routine.  
  
_Do I look so lonely to Matt that he sees the need to intervene?_ Shiro thinks as he brushes his teeth, staring absently at his reflection.  
  
As he prepares his futon, Shiro ponders upon his thoughts again, slightly restless. _But what if Matt’s right? What if I am lonely, but I haven’t realised it yet. What if I do need his help?_ _  
_ _  
_ When he’s warm under his blanket, Shiro decides to put a rest to his thoughts. _I’m being silly, thinking too far into it. Let’s go to sleep._  
  
Shiro turns his body to the side, finding a more comfortable position, and buries himself deeper into the blanket. For some reason, the last thing that passes through his mind before he succumbs to the heavy pull of slumber is how Allura smiled at him when she bid him a good night, right before they parted.  
  
Shirogane Takashi sleeps with a small smile on his face that night.

 

* * *

 

“So, have you contacted any of the girls from the _goukon_ the other day?”  
  
“Nope,” Shiro emphasizes at the end of the word, popping his mouth on the last syllable. Matt huffs in annoyance at his reply.  
  
“Seriously? You’ve got to be proactive in these kinds of things or you won’t ever make progress, Shiro! I’m very disappointed in you,” Matt clicks his tongue, looking at him like a disapproving mother. It takes a great amount of will for Shiro not to roll his eyes and stick his tongue out at his friend in petulance. He opts to continue typing his data in, pretending very hard that they’re not having this conversation.  
  
“You’re sounding more and more like my mother that it’s getting scary, Matt.”  
  
“I’m going to take that as a compliment. Your mother is a lovely person,” Matt retorts. “Okay, let’s try going through this. We’ll need to know what’s not working for you so we can think up improvements for next time. Why didn’t you contact any of the girls? They weren’t your type?”  
  
“I’ve told you, I’m not sure if I even have a type,” Shiro answers, turning his head slightly to stare back at Matt’s inquisitive stare. It’s the same look he always directs at his pet projects.  
  
“Fair enough. Was it the _goukon_ itself?”  
  
Shiro pauses to give it a thought. He thinks about how the women tried to talk to him all at once, and how that had made him feel overwhelmed. “Yeah. I think it might have been that. Not big on the whole group thing.”  
  
“Hmm. I see. No more _goukons_ from now on then,” Heaving a sigh, Matt shakes his head and swivels on his chair, making it creak ominously. “But!”  
  
Shiro doesn’t like the sound of that ‘but’. He only has bad feelings about that ‘but.’  
  
“I’ve signed you up for a speed-dating event this weekend!” Matt cheerfully announces.  
  
Shiro groans loudly, putting his face into his hands. What has he done in his previous life to deserve this? “Matt, no.”  
  
“Shiro, yes!”  
  
“Aren’t they basically the same thing?” Shiro tries to protest, knowing it’s going to be futile.  
  
“No, they’re not. Speed dating might involve a lot of people at once, but you’ll have one-on-one sessions with them,” Matt explains. “Which is a very efficient method, if I may say.”  
  
“One-on-one, sure, but aren’t they supposed to be really short?”  
  
“Yes, five to ten minutes long for each session. But who knows? Maybe you’ll click really well with someone there and you can finally get it on,” Matt waggles his eyebrows suggestively, and Shiro just sends him an unimpressed stare. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there too as your chaperone.”  
  
“Why, thank you for being so considerate,” Shiro says, sarcasm dripping from his tone. Though he supposes it’s better to have a familiar face with him than not. If Shiro goes alone, he’ll probably be a sitting duck for the whole thing.  
  
“You’re very welcome. That reminds me,” The lines on Matt’s face changes, transforming his teasing grin into a serious frown. “Remember that stunt you pulled with Allura at the _goukon_ ?”  
  
Shiro winces. “What about it?”  
  
“I caught some people talking about it. Got them thinking the rumour is baseless though, so that should put a stop to it,” Matt crosses his arms and leans back on his chair. “You’re welcome.”  
  
“Thanks, I owe you one,” Shiro sighs. He might not care much about what people are talking behind his back, but their not-so-discreet, speculative gazes are still very much unpleasant. Thankfully, Matt is one of the people who stand on the top of the grapevine, and people tend to believe his word for it.  
  
“Just make sure you clean up nicely this weekend. I’ll LINE you the details later,” Matt says as he wheels himself back to his desk.  
  
For the first time in his life, Shiro wishes for the weekend to never come.

 

* * *

 

"I'm really sorry, Shiro. I swear I won't make the same mistake ever again."  
  
"It's fine, really," And though Shiro gives him a reassuring smile, the repentant and apologizing look the intern sends Shiro tells him that the guy knows exactly how not fine the whole situation was. "Just be more careful next time."  
  
"Just...thank you so much for helping me. I would've gotten fired on the spot if it wasn't for you."  
  
"Glad to be of help. You go home now, it's getting late. You're going to miss the last train if you don't hurry."  
  
"You're not going home?" The intern's asks, knitting his brows in a show of concern.  
  
"I will. After I clean up some stuff." Shiro pats the intern's shoulder, sending him away with a nod. The man nods back at him and finally leaves Shiro alone in the desolate, dimly-lit office all by himself.

  
When he's sure he's alone, Shiro slumps down to bury his face on his desk, groaning as the fatigue seeps in. He raises his hand to rub out the kinks on his shoulders to no avail. This warrants some good ol' Salonpas to do trick. _The drugstore must be closed by now, I'll have to drop by the konbini to get some later._  
  
Shiro doubts he's going to actually go home by this point. And he’s not planning to splurge his money to get a taxi—the trip home will make quite a dent in his monthly budget. It’s just not worth it. _Guess I should look for a manga cafe near here to stay the night._  
  
He wills himself to take out his smartphone and google it, but he can’t even be bothered moving to sit upright. He deserves this. He gets to stay like this a few more moments. It’s been a long day.  
  
Earlier today, the intern—Shiro doesn’t have enough brain power left to recall the poor guy’s name—had made quite the blunder. The guy was supposed to collect outdated documents and send them through the shredder, a simple task. But by misreading the label on the file storage box, the intern had mistakenly shredded the recent documents and turned the whole thing into a nightmare.  
  
This, unsurprisingly, had caused their Department Chief to explode on the intern, screaming and spitting out venom without even stopping to catch a breath. That was where Shiro had stepped in, literally blocking the Chief’s line of sight to give cover to the intern, who was shaking like a leaf. Thankfully, the chief was pacified when Shiro gave him the promise that they’ll fix things by the end of the day.  
  
And fix things they did, though not without going through hell first. Shiro and the intern had to find out which document had been decimated, and that had led them into spending hours of effort trying to put the shredded pieces of the document back into some semblance of order. And after they have successfully identified the document, they had to trace it back to the owner to see if they can get another copy. If not, they had had to carefully cellotape the pieces back into a whole piece. The whole process had taken most of the day, and they had to stay long after everybody’s gone.  
  
_Never again. I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of their sockets._ Shiro finally sits up and stretches his arms up, blinking his eyes rapidly. He’s not going home right away anyway, so he might as well take his time. A hot drink sounds like a good way to shake off the weariness from today’s events.  
  
Shiro ambles his way to the row of vending machines at the corner of the hallway, careful not to trip on anything in the darkness. He peruses his choices, but none of the drinks displayed there appeals to him. _Might as well make some hot tea_. Shiro considers for a second and makes his decision.  
  
He takes the stairs down and goes to the office kitchen, turning on the lights as he enters.  
  
The kitchen is narrow and small that it can only fit a handful of people at once without making it too crowded. There is a microwave for the employees who prefer their meals heated. And then there is a small stove and several pan and pots, with an array of utensils. There is also a medium-sized fridge that is always packed with food containers and juice bottles, all labelled with their owners’ name. And then there’s the coveted coffee-maker people line up in the morning for. It’s got most of the things people would need in a kitchen.  
  
But what Shiro is after right now is the boxes of tea and the hot water dispenser. A quick press of buttons on the machine starts the heating process and as he waits, Shiro moves to get himself a mug from the top cabinet.  
  
“Shiro?” The sudden call causes Shiro to jump in surprise, knocking his head on the wooden cabinet with a loud ‘thunk’.  
  
“Ow…” Shiro groans, cupping his forehead with his free hand.  
  
“Oh my god, are you okay?”  
  
A quick peek confirms that it’s Allura, looking alarmed and is suddenly standing close to Shiro, reaching up to touch the bump on his head. He can’t help but wince, but he immediately tries to cover it up with a shaky smile. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”  
  
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you like that,” Allura takes a step back but is still sending him concerned looks. “That sounded pretty loud, are you sure you’re okay?”  
  
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Shiro says. “What are you doing here so late?”  
  
“I could ask you the same question,” Allura quirks an eyebrow up. “You look terrible. Rough day?”  
  
“You could say that. But hey, I asked you first.” Nudging her side gently, Shiro throws her a playful smile. “Tea?”  
  
“Oh, yes please,” Allura breathes. Getting another mug, Shiro’s hands move to make them both some _houjicha_. He nods to Allura to encourage her to keep talking. “There are a few reports I need to get done by the end of the day. My supervisor demands them to be completed and be on his desk first thing tomorrow,” Allura scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Because updating the employee list and making a report on the end of year banquet are the direst thing, of course.”  
  
Shiro hums in sympathy. It’s a common intimidation technique some of the managers pull to scare new recruits into submission. Make them do menial things and chew them out when there’s the slightest hint of a mistake. Shiro’s been subjected to them when he was still rotating through departments. “Nothing you do is ever right in their eyes when they get into that mode. I don’t like saying this, but all you can do is grit your teeth and not let their words get to you.”  
  
“I’ll try to remember that. I was _this_ close to snapping back today,” Allura gestures with her fingers just how thin her patience was worn to. “He told me to do the reports _minutes_ before we were supposed to clock out! And he didn’t even leave instructions on how to find the data, and by then everyone has left already. And then he even had the gall to tell me not to act cocky or pull anything weird just because I’m the entitled daughter of the CEO—though I suppose it’s refreshing to see someone say that outright.”  
  
“Wow,” Shiro hands Allura her tea and takes a sip of his, getting a murmur of ‘thanks’ in return. He relishes how the warmth from the tea slowly trickles down and spreads, warming his whole body up. “What a dick.”  
  
“I’m not sure if that is worse compared to how the others try to butter me up instead because of my relations to the CEO. It’s all very unpleasant,” Allura sighs and blows at her tea for a few moments before taking a sip, making a pleased sound. “This is very nice. What kind of tea is it?”  
  
“Roasted green tea. We call it _houjicha_ ,” Shiro answers.  
  
“I’m definitely going to look this up the next time I restock my tea,” Allura comments before taking another sip. “So what about you? What made you stay back until this late?”  
  
“Someone accidentally destroyed the wrong documents, and so we get to stay late to put them back together. The regular disaster.”  
  
“Oh no. Wait, so you’re not the one who did it, but you had to stay back as well?” Allura says incredulously, a crease forming between her eyebrows.  
  
“The poor kid looked like he was about to cry,” Shiro shrugs. “We’ve all made mistakes. And when we do, it’s nice to have someone side with you, don’t you think?”  
  
“How very knightly of you, Shiro. You must be his hero now.” Allura is smiling amusedly at him now, holding her tea close to the edge her mouth.  
  
“It’s nothing big,” Shiro says. “And the guy is sure to be more careful now, so it’s a learning experience.”  
  
“I think it’s great how you can paint it as a positive thing. I’d just be too vexed to do anything but complain,” Allura says admiringly, making Shiro flush at the compliment. “Oh! That reminds me, there’s something I need your help with.”  
  
“What is it?” Shiro asks.  
  
“Do you perhaps know any bookstore where I can buy textbooks to learn Japanese?” Allura taps her fingers on the side of her mug. “I know we deal with everything mostly in English at work, but I thought it’d be best for me to learn it. At least until I have basic conversational skills.”  
  
“I know exactly the place. And if you don’t mind I can recommend you several textbooks for you to try,” Shiro says. “I used to tutor a couple of expatriate children, so I’m quite familiar with the material.”  
  
“You can? That would be wonderful!” Allura beams, her eyes lighting up, and Shiro can’t help but smile along. “Could you text me the address of the bookstore later?”  
  
“Of course!” Shiro pauses for a while, before continuing on. “You know, I can take you there if you’re free this Sunday. After that I can take you around the city and show you the local places. That is, if you want to?”  
  
“You’re offering to take me on a city tour?” Allura sends him a considering and searching look, almost making Shiro doubt his offer. But the edge of her mouth curls up again before long, as if it never left. “That sounds great. It’s very kind of you for offering, Shiro.”  
  
“It’s no problem.” Shiro hides his grin behind his mug, taking a big gulp now that his tea has cooled down. He still needs to go to the speed dating event with Matt on Saturday, but now he’s beginning to look forward to the weekend.

 

* * *

 

 _“Yo, Shiro! You coming to the meeting tonight?”_  
  
_Shiro turns to the source of the voice and nods a greeting to Watanabe, a fellow member of the movie circle he had joined ever since his freshman year. “You say meeting, but it’s just another drinking party, isn’t it?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hell, yeah! How else are we going to welcome the new members? Not that they get to drink themselves,” Watanabe booms out a laugh and claps Shiro’s back good-naturedly, and Shiro chuckles along with him. “So, you’re coming?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I don’t know, man…”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“You should come, Shiro. It’ll be great to get to know the new kids, they seem to be a fun bunch,” Mizuki quips in, appearing at Watanabe’s other side._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Yeah, you should definitely come. Mizuki would be_ devastated _if you don’t,” Watanabe’s snicker turns into a wince when Mizuki lands a punch on his arm._ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro just laughs and doesn’t make a comment._ _  
_ _  
_ _“But seriously though, you should come,” Mizuki sends Shiro a furtive glance, and he might be wrong, but Shiro thinks there’s a red tint colouring her cheeks._ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro looks away. “Really sorry guys, but there’s this paper that I need to start working on right away.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Oh, come_ on _, Shirogane! It’s only the second week of the semester!” Watanabe groans. “Think of the cute freshman girls you’ll get to meet—ouch! Mizuki! Stop punching me!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I’ll think about it,” Shiro says diplomatically._ _  
_ _  
_ _“You better be or Mizuki here is going to go on a rampage,” Watanabe mutters, but not so quietly that Shiro can still catch his words clearly._ _  
_ _  
_ _It’s a well-known secret that Mizuki has her sights on Shiro ever since their first year in college. Shiro isn’t sure it’s much of a secret anymore since pretty much all of their mutual friends are in the know. That includes the other members of the movie circle, who have been keen on trying to set the two of them up whenever they have the chance to. Shiro has managed to successfully dodge them so far, with considerable effort._ _  
_ _  
_ _It’s not that Mizuki’s not unattractive. She’s pretty, perhaps one of the prettiest in their cohort, and she’s very easy to talk to. It’s just that with their circle of friends overlapping so much, it might complicate things between them and their friends._ _  
_ _  
_ _To be honest, Shiro’s not sure if he’s interested to become more than friends with her._ _  
_ _  
_ _And so Shiro looks away whenever Mizuki sends him a shy smile, says no whenever she asks him to go hang out and plays ignorant when their friends drop hints that he and Mizuki should totally date._ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro sighs internally but keeps his smile on. He then steers the conversation away, and they start talking about the upcoming movies that are going to be released in the cinemas in the following week._ _  
  
_

* * *

 

“So that went well.”  
  
“Matt.”  
  
“Okay, maybe that didn’t go so well,” Matt sigh, his fingers curling up around his glass of Cassis Orange, his back hunched over the bar counter. “Why did I think this speed dating thing was a good idea? And most of all, why didn’t you try to stop me, Shiro? It’s your responsibility as my best friend to stop me from doing stupid shit.”  
  
“Hey, I’ve tried. But you refused to listen so this one’s on you,” Shiro says, amused to see his friend rambling, getting drunk over half a glass of cocktail. His friend can chug down beer like it’s water, but serve him any other alcoholic drink and he’ll fold before the glass is gone.  
  
“Ugh. I hate my past self sometimes. He gets the worst idea,” Matt grumbles, taking another generous gulp from his glass. “Stupid homophobic pompous asshats. Do you think they will ever realise the reason they don’t have girlfriends and need to join the speed dating scene is because they have horrendous personalities? I hope they will.”  
  
“Matt, we also joined the speed dating scene, however brief that may have been.”  
  
“It’s _different_ ,” Matt hiccups once and obviously the best way to cover it up is to drink more. Shiro shakes his head to the bartender when Matt raises his glass, gesturing for another drink.  
  
The speed dating event started out fine. They got assigned a number, then they went around tables where different girls were sitting with a piece of paper to note the people they had taken an interest into. The organizers gave them five minutes to talk and signal the end of each session with the blow of a whistle.  
  
It was a new and different experience—some of the girls were talkative, and some were reticent, but it wasn’t as awkward as Shiro had imagined it to be. It had even gotten to the point where Shiro started to think that maybe this wasn’t such a horrible idea after all. Not that he believed he’ll find his ‘special someone’ here, but it was marginally better than staying at home and binge-watching variety shows the whole day.  
  
The trouble started when Matt had whispered to Shiro about a particularly cute butt of some guy he had an eyeful of.  
  
Of course some other guy had to overhear it and made disparaging comments over how Matt should hightail to Nichoume where he belonged.  
  
“Do their little brains have no concept of bisexuality? I mean. Is that too complicated a notion for them to comprehend?” Matt knocks back his drink and slams it down on the counter, gasping out another hiccup. “I hope the coffee stains won’t get washed out from that pristine white shirt of his. A badge to show how black his soul really is. _Bigots_ .”  
  
Instead of engaging the guy in a fight, Matt had dumped coffee all over his shirt and called the guy a handful of creative names made up of pure expletives. The other attendees and the organizers just watched on in abject horror but didn’t raise a hand to stop it. It was up to Shiro to drag Matt away from the scene, but not without bumping into the unpleasant man hard ‘accidentally’, knocking the guy over, and headed to the bar they are now.

  
“Come on Matt, you’ve had enough drink. Let’s get you home,” Shiro puts a hand on Matt’s shoulder but gets shrugged off.

“No! I’m gonna do right by you!” Matt hiccups again. “Let’s go to another bar so you can hit on girls. Or oooh we can sign you up for online dating, give me your phone.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Shiro dodges Matt’s drunken lunge for his phone, then signals the bartender for their bill. “No hitting on girls and no online dating either. We’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

“You’re no fun,” Matt whines, still making grabby hands at Shiro. “At least let me install Tinder on your phone!”  
  
“Nope,” Shiro takes a look at the bill and places a handful of cash to cover it, nodding his thanks to the bartender. “Come on, we’re leaving.”  
  
“Ugh, fine. Let me go wash up for a bit, I’m getting dizzy,” Matt states and is up on his feet, walking not so steadily to the bathroom.  
  
“I’ve never seen someone get drunk on Cassis Orange before,” The bartender says, raising his eyebrows at Shiro, who just chuckles. “Your friend is quite the lightweight.”  
  
“It’s just one of those nights,” Shiro shrugs a shoulder, the ends of his mouth tugging up into a smile.

 

* * *

 

Shiro takes out a pair of an outfit. And another. And another, but nothing feels right to wear for the occasion. It’s either too formal or too casual or just simply not right.  
  
His quest for the perfect set of clothes has to come to an unsatisfying close because he needs to go soon or he’ll be late to the meeting place with Allura. In the end, he grabs his usual garb: the shirt, sweater, and jacket combination, completing the look with a scarf neatly looped around his neck. He’s about to grab his wallet and keys and head out when the doorbell suddenly rings.  
  
Shiro almost trips as he double backs to the front door but thanks to his good reflexes, he recovers himself quickly. He doesn’t think he’s expecting any package delivery. Could it be the NHK guy coming to bother him about television subscription fee again?  
  
He peeks through the peephole, just in case it’s one of those people coming to offer him the road to salvation or whatever it is. They can get so persistent that it scares him. The familiar sight of four teenagers at the other side of the door makes him sigh in relief and he pushes the door open. “Hey, you guys.”  
  
“Hi, Shiro!” Lance’s hand does a little wave, a wide grin splitting across his face.  
  
“Shiro! We’ve got that retro game we told you about the other day! Can we play it here? Please please please?” Pidge is hopping from foot to foot, holding said game cartridge up, her eyes shining with excitement.  
  
“I’ve got food!” As proof, Hunk raises tubs of tupperware and jiggles them.  
  
“I’ve bought some snacks from the convenience store,” Keith adds, holding up a plastic bag probably stuffed with all kinds of potato chips.  
  
“Come on in,” Shiro offers with a warm smile.  
  
The teens walk in and quickly makes themselves comfortable. Pidge and Lance kneel in front of the TV and sets up the game console, while Hunk goes straight to the kitchen to warm up the food he’s brought with him. Keith dumps the bag of snacks on the coffee table and goes to the fridge, probably to grab drinks. It’s a familiar routine they’ve gotten into in the last few years.  
  
The four of them are Shiro’s students, had been for quite a while now. At first, it was supposed to be Matt teaching them, but his friend turned out to be a better learner than a teacher, so they were redirected to Shiro. He helps tutor them through their studies, mostly Classic Japanese, a subject most expatriate children tend to struggle with. And though they can be quite the rowdy group, they listen to Shiro and they get along well enough to call each other friends despite the years between them.  
  
They like to say that they’ve adopted Shiro into their gang. As for Shiro, it’s like he got four younger siblings all of a sudden.  
  
The tutoring sessions are mainly held at the Holt’s residence at first, but after they got the permission to, they started going to Shiro’s place (for reasons such as freedom to play Shiro’s vast collection of game consoles and being in close vicinity to the pizza place). And Shiro’s apartment became their designated hang out place ever since.  
  
Shiro checks his watch. He has some time if he hurries, but even then it’s cutting it a little close.  
  
“Are you heading off somewhere?” Keith walks up to Shiro juggling drinks in his hands. Shiro makes a mental note to stock up the fridge again, knowing their tendency to show up out of the blue every now and then.  
  
“Uh,” Shiro blinks, for some reason feeling like a deer being caught in headlights. “Yes?”  
  
“No wonder you’re all dressed up. Where are you going to?” Pidge tips her head up to comment, moving her hands to hook up the cables of the controllers without looking.  
  
“Ooh, are you going on a date?” Lance teases.  
  
"Wait, what's this talk about a date?" Hunk joins in, placing the plates on the coffee table. Shiro can't name what it is from a single glance, but it definitely smells heavenly that his mouth is starting to water.  
  
"You're going on a date?" Keith quirks an eyebrow up, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.  
  
"What? No!" Shiro blurts out, flustered. "We're only going as friends!"  
  
"Oooh, so there _is_ someone," Lance waggles his eyebrows, stopping from his task to fire finger guns at Shiro. "Go get it, Shiro!"  
  
"I've told you, _it's not like_ _that_. She's just a friend from work. I’m helping her with something." Shiro rolls his eyes exasperatedly.  
  
"Hmm a friend from work, huh. Does Matt know anything about this?" This time, it's Pidge giving him a grin full of meaning.  
  
"No, and you're not to say a word about this."  
  
"What do I get from this?"  
  
"...you can take my PS4 for a month."  
  
"Sweet. It’s a deal!"  
  
"You don't have to hide it from us, Shiro. There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Keith says, but his ever growing smirk says otherwise.  
  
"Oh cut it out. I really have to go now.” Shiro checks his watch again. “You sure you’ll be okay?”  
  
“I’ll look after them,” Keith nods to Shiro.  
  
“Hey! Just because you’re a little older than us doesn’t automatically make you in charge, Keith! I call for democracy!” Lance cries out, pointing a finger at Keith.  
  
“Oh, you wanna have a go?”  
  
“Okay, break it up. All of you be good, alright? If you leave before I get back home, lock the door and put the key in the post as usual.” Shiro gives them all a look, silently warning them to behave. Last time, they were so into a game that their cries and screams went unchecked, resulting in a file of complaint from Shiro’s neighbour.

“Yes, Daaad.” The four of them says at the same time.

“Again, not old enough to actually be your dad.” Shiro mutters under his breath before giving them one last shout of goodbye and rushing out the door.

 

* * *

 

_“Oh, Takashi.” His mother approaches the front door as Shiro bends to remove his shoes, clucking her tongue and immediately fussing over him. “Look at you, you look so pale and exhausted. Have you been eating right these days?”_

_Shiro doesn’t think eating convenient store lunch boxes and eating ramen with his colleagues is what his mother counts as ‘eating right’, so he keeps his silence. Apparently, that is answer enough for his mother who clucks her tongue once more in disapproval._ _  
_ _  
_ _“This is why I keep telling you to settle down and find a wife soon. At least you’ll have someone to take care of you while you work,” his mother chides._ _  
_ _  
_ _It’s an argument they’ve had for so many times, and each time Shiro never budged on his answer. But that doesn’t mean his mother is going to back down either. A lot of people say that Shiro looks a lot like his father, but his stubbornness comes solely from his mother. “Mom, I’ve told you I don’t have time for that. I think it’s still too soon anyway, I’ve barely started working.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _A year barely passed ever since Shiro jointed the company he’s currently working in. He likes the place, overall, but adjusting to a new working environment has taken a lot out of him. And it was decided early this year that Shiro will be transferred to another department in the following fiscal year—which means that he has to adapt himself to the different tasks and responsibilities all over again._ _  
_ _  
_ _“The Saitou’s son is only a year older than you and he’s going to have a baby soon.” Shiro refuses to react and comments to that. “And I know you keep saying you’re too busy, so I’ve arranged something for you,” his mother says ominously and beckons him to the living room. Shiro closes his eyes for a moment, reminding himself to keep his calm at whatever is coming. He puts his luggage down and follows his mother, sinking himself into the sofa across from hers._ _  
_ _  
_ _They haven’t started talking yet and he’s already feeling tired._ _  
_ _  
_ _His mother slides a folded piece of paper across the table toward him. Shiro eyes it cautiously, biting his lower lip to stop himself from letting out an exasperated sigh. I knew it._ _  
_ _  
_ _“I’ve arranged an omiai for you,” his mother announces, opening the cover to show him the photograph of an unfamiliar girl dressed in a traditional kimono. “She’s the second daughter of the Oonishi family. She’s a nice, reputable girl and she’s around your age, so I’m quite positive that the two of you will be a good match.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Mom, I’ve told you that I’m not interested in miais–!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Then when will you start looking for a girl? I worry about you, you know. What if you work yourself too hard and pushes yourself into death out of exhaustion without someone taking care of you? I’ve heard on the television that cases like that are increasing in our society.” His mother leans forward to cover his hand with hers. “At least try and meet her. Who knows, maybe things will go well…”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself, you don’t have to worry,” Shiro sighs, extracting his hand out of his mother’s hold and put it on top of hers, squeezing it. He knows that his mother means well, but he’s so worn out right now that he can’t spare the energy to spare a thought on things like marriage. “I’m a little tired from the journey. I’m going to rest in my room.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _Shiro gets up to his feet and retreats from the room, away from the sound of his mother’s disappointed sigh._

* * *

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Shiro evens out his heavy breathing, the result of a long speed-walking from the train platform to the station exit the two had agreed to meet up at. The coldness of the air a stark contrast against his warmed cheeks.  
  
“Don’t be, I’ve just arrived as well,” Allura offers him an understanding smile.  
  
Allura has donned a stylish grey coat to ward her off from the wintery chill and a pink beret is sitting on top of her head. Her hair is tied into a loose braid, Her looks are foreign enough to make her stand out, but her very presence makes her glow, a beautiful sight in the midst of the ever-moving crowd.    
  
Shiro clears his throat. “Shall we go?”  
  
“Lead the way.”  
  
He takes Allura to his favourite bookstore, where he knows has one of the most complete collections of textbooks. Nowadays, people tend to buy books off of online stores, but Shiro thinks it’s better to go to a place where you can browse through your options when you’re still not sure which one to get.  
  
“Most people usually use this series when they start learning Japanese. But first, you’ll need exercise books to get yourself familiar with Japanese characters, like hiragana, katakana, and kanji. So it will be better if you start with this one,” Shiro hands her a couple of books which she skims through briefly.  
  
“Looks quite a handful, but not impossible. Are there any books that focus mainly on listening and conversational skills? I think it’s best to start on those first,” Allura says but she puts the books inside the shopping basket.  
  
“Of course. This one’s pretty good for pronunciation exercises, and they have an array of topics, so you’ll expand your vocabulary pretty quickly,” Shiro hands her another book which goes straight to the basket, and takes another one from the shelf. “And for listening, I’ll go for this one.”  
  
They go through a few other choices, Shiro explaining the pros and cons of each one, and after a while, the trip to the bookstore ends with Shiro making a list of books for when Allura has gotten through the ones she’s planning to buy for now.  
  
“Of course, you can buy the others online if you’re not up to coming all the way here—” Shiro’s words are cut off by a loud grumble that originates from his stomach. The sound is so sudden and so loud that both Shiro and Allura freeze into silence. Saying that Shiro is horrified right now might be the understatement of the century. “Oh. Oh god, I’m so sorry. I uh. I forgot to have breakfast..?” Shiro rambles out his excuse, grinning sheepishly, an embarrassed blush decorating his cheeks.  
  
Allura throws her head back and outright _cackles_ and it’s the most open he’s seen of her face. She tries to clear her throat and regain some calm, but peals of giggles escape behind her hand as she covers up her laugh. “Should we go get lunch? I’ve also started feeling a little peckish.”  
  
“Are you sure you don’t want to look around more?”  
  
“It’s fine. So, do you a place in mind?” Allura heaves the basket full of books effortlessly and when she tilts her head in question, Shiro points her to the direction of the cashier.  
  
“I do actually, if you don’t mind us taking the train to get there? The places around here tend to get packed quick around lunch time which is…” Shiro takes a glance at his watch. “Right about now. The queue gets pretty bad.”  
  
“Of course not!” Allura pays for her books and declines Shiro’s offer to carry them for her. “It’ll be nice to explore.”  
  
They make their way to the crowded train station, threading through people rushing from one direction to another, an intricate maze that you need to learn to get navigate yourself around. If you lose focus for even one second, you’re almost certain to bump into someone.  
  
“Stay close to me, it’s easy to get separated in this crowd,” Shiro tells Allura who nods at his instruction, instantly moving to stand closer to him. He has this sudden urge to wrap his arm around her shoulder to make sure she stays close, but he squashes those ridiculous thoughts away and carefully heads to the platform.  
  
The people in front of them starts walking faster, some dashing down the stairs, which usually means a train is fast approaching.  
  
“What? What’s happening? Should we start running too?” Allura narrows her eyes nervously at the crowd, trying to pinpoint the cause of the sudden movement.  
  
“A train’s coming, but we should wait for the next one. It’s dangerous, and we only need to wait for three minutes anyway,” Shiro replies over the crowd’s hubbub. They reach the platform just as the doors to the train close and it departs, walking a little bit more and stand in the queue behind the yellow line. The platform is only empty momentarily as a throng of people comes over, clustering the queue lines once more.  
  
“I thought the trains only get this full on weekdays,” Allura comments as she turns left and right, throwing curious looks at her surrounding.  
  
“Mostly, but the more popular stops are like this most of the time,” Shiro sighs. It’s one of the few things people who aren’t originally from Tokyo finds most difficult to adjust to. There are just too many people. A chime of music followed by the station attendant’s voice come through the announcement, signifying the arrival of their train.  
  
The train carriages zoom past the two of them, slowly coming to a gentle halt. The doors slide open, carrying the voice of the train officer announcing the name of the station. People who get off the train stomp their way toward the stairs, moving quickly out of sight. When the last of the people seem to have gotten out, Shiro and Allura boards the train and immediately gets pushed in, sandwiched against each other.  
  
Shiro grabs onto the handlebar closest to him to balance himself as the train starts to move. He notices Allura looking around for something to hold on to, but her being smack in the middle, too far from the vertical bars and none of the handlebars available leaves her at lost.  
  
“You can hang onto me,” Shiro offers after Allura winces when her body sways precariously, knocking into the person next to her as the train makes a curving turn.  
  
“Thank you,” Allura breathes out in relief, grabbing hold of Shiro’s free arm. She’s pressed flush against him, and even though her touch lies above Shiro’s coat, the skin beneath it feels like it’s burning.  
  
_It could just be the overly crowded train getting to me_ , Shiro thinks. But then he gets a whiff of something nice—something floral and feminine and pleasing. At first, he wonders where the smell is coming from by taking another sniff, but then he realises it could only be the scent of Allura’s shampoo, with their proximity and her head directly under him. Shiro’s heart starts pounding. Now, not only his arm, his whole body starts to feel warm and Shiro feels mortified. _Oh my god, I feel like a creep._ _  
_ _  
_ The ride feels like it’s taking longer than it should, but soon enough the train system announces that the next stop is their destination, so Shiro lets go of his hold to touch Allura’s hand, alerting her to look up and face him. He gestures to the door, signalling that they need to get off soon. When Allura lets her arm down, the knot of tension in Shiro's stomach dissipates into either relief or disappointment.  
  
Shiro spends the rest of the journey getting out of the station and to the restaurant in a daze, trying to figure out why on earth his body is overly conscious of even the smallest thing when it comes to Allura.  
  
He might have an inkling, but he has no idea what to make of it.

 

* * *

 

The place they’re having their lunch at is a quaint little place hidden on the third floor of a plain-looking building. But once you step into the premise, you can clearly tell the effort that has been poured into it. It’s tastefully decorated, with wooden panels lining the wall and wooden furniture to complement it. Rays of sunlight trickle in through the full window, brightening the whole space, giving visitors a nice view of the riverbank that stretches across nearby.  
  
“This place is beautiful, how did you find it?” Allura is marvelling at the view, the menu she’s holding forgotten for the moment.  
  
“It was a coincidence, really,” Shiro was about to flick through the menu but his eyes follow hers. A rare peaceful sight in a usually busy city. “I had an errand to do around here and stumbled upon this place. It’s quite the hidden gem, isn’t it?”  
  
There are a few other customers apart from them, but otherwise, the restaurant is not quite filled. After deciding what they’re going to get, Shiro calls over the waiter and gives their order. The waiter recites back their order for confirmation and brings them two glasses of water for the meantime as they wait.  
  
“So, I’ve been curious,” Allura starts out of the sudden. She leans forward as if the topic is not meant to be shared with the public. “What is this...thing that has been going on between you and Matt?”  
  
“Hm? What do you mean?” Shiro bends closer to whisper too, playing along.  
  
“He’s so hell-bent on trying to find you a match lately! Matt kept going on and on about how you’re impossible to set up with and he’s been asking _me_ out of all people for tips,” Allura raises her eyebrows, her eyes crinkling in amusement. “The man is bordering on desperate, Shiro, so I’ve been wondering what brought this on.”  
  
“Ah. That’s just...it’s not all that interesting.” Shiro scratches his neck, his eyes gliding to the side.  
  
“I sense a story here. Please, do tell.” Allura bats her eyes teasingly, drawing out an eye-roll from Shiro.  
  
“It doesn’t even count as a story, but if you insist.” Shiro shrugs his shoulders, humouring her. “Do you remember the end of year party?”  
  
“That was the night we first met, wasn’t it?” Allura rests her chin on her hand, listening carefully.  
  
“Yeah,” Shiro smiles at the memory of their brief meeting in the izakaya hall. “Anyways, that night, I discussed a few things I was concerned about to Matt...”  
  
Shiro gives her a rundown of his conversation with Matt that night, with Allura nodding along. “I see,” Allura says as Shiro finishes. “So by assuming that your lack of a romantic partner as the source of your lack of satisfaction in life, he starts putting you up on things like _goukons_ and speed dating.”  
  
“That’s about right,” Shiro nods his thanks at the waiter who has brought their food. “I’ve told you there’s not much to tell.”  
  
“I see,” Allura makes this considering noise and continues to eye Shiro contemplatively. “Satisfaction in life, huh… What was your dream as a child, Shiro?”  
  
The abrupt change in topic startles Shiro into focus. “I’m sorry, what?”  
  
“Your childhood dream. What did you want to be when you grow up?” Allura picks up her utensils and starts eating as she watches on with thoughtful eyes.  
  
“I don’t know, um. An astronaut, I guess?”  
  
“So why didn’t you pursue it?”  
  
The question makes Shiro pause. Why? A very simple question with a not very simple answer.  
  
Shiro has liked space since he could remember, and he still does. He remembers the Star Trek series his father had loved to watch, how the crew of the Enterprise travels to places far beyond the reaches of men, exploring things others have never seen before. It had fascinated him when he was young, it still fascinates him until this day.  
  
There are many reasons that he can offer her—how it’s just a child’s pipedream, that he had put his all just to get into a good high school, and then a good university, and then a good company, that he hadn’t planned for a long-term target.  
  
“I just got...distracted by life, I suppose.”  
  
Allura chews her food thoroughly and swallows before opening her mouth once more, staring straight into Shiro’s eyes. “You know Shiro, my father used to say that a lot of people only go through the motion instead of truly living. That sometimes logic and a sense of stability drive people into a standstill. There’s no checklist of items that you need to follow, you see. What you need to know is your priority—find out what it is that makes you feel _alive_.  
  
“I don’t mean that you need to suddenly change your career path or anything, but think about what it is that’s most important to you. It might be something you haven’t gotten into your hands yet, but it could also be what you already have but have not regarded as so. For some people it might be their job, for others, it might be their family, friends, loved ones. A romantic partner, from Matt’s perspective. And for some it could be themselves, enriching one’s self with experience the world can offer them. My point is,” Allura clears her throat before continuing. “That you should search for yourself first, find out what it is that makes you feel fulfilled. Sorry if this comes out as being preachy or too vague.”  
  
“No it’s–” Shiro absently nudges his food around as he takes Allura’s words in, an action that would have provoked a scolding from his mother back in his boyhood. “It’s great. I think I needed to hear that. People tend to have this image of me having my life together, for some reason.”  
  
“To be honest, I was just copying my father’s speech,” Allura grins sheepishly, and it makes her face looks young. “He can be a dork sometimes, but he gives great advice.”  
  
“Your father is a very admirable man.”  
  
“He’s pretty great,” Allura nods in agreement, still looking at Shiro closely. “It’s okay you know, not feeling like you have everything put together. You’ll get there sooner or later. There’s no manual when it comes to things like this, there’s no need to rush,” She gives him an encouraging smile that Shiro can’t help but mirror.  
  
“Right. Have I told you that I became friends with one of the girls in Administration? Shay’s the sweetest. And why do most of the women in our company only get administrative duties? Don’t you think they should take up more responsibility so that they can be given more opportunities?”  
  
Shiro listens to Allura rant about the lack of female roles in the workforce, and he explains how Japanese society in general still has a conservative view of women in a working environment. Not many get the chance to climb the corporate ladder, and most who have started a family usually quit their job to focus on their household. Allura’s incredulity renders her speechless, her face scrunched up into the most disbelieving expression and carries on with her opinion on the matter.  
  
But her earlier words float back into his mind, and he can’t help but question himself again.  
  
Something that makes him feel alive—he hasn’t felt that sensation for so long. He wonders what it could be.

 

* * *

 

They finish lunch with Allura insisting on going dutch on the bill. Shiro tried to convince her to let him pay to welcome her to the city, but after a minute or two of arguing, Allura managed to beat him to the cashier, a triumphant grin adorning her face as she accepts Shiro’s share of the bill.  
  
“Are there any other places you’d like to go?” Shiro asks as they step out of the premise.  
  
“Let’s see… How about we do it this way,” Allura takes a few steps forward and swirls around to face Shiro. “Where do _you_ want to go?”  
  
Shiro raises his eyebrows. “Me?”  
  
“Yes. Take it as an exercise, if you will. Deciding on what you want, starting from a smaller scale.” The quirk at the edge of Allura’s lips is clearly a challenge. “So? Where to?”  
  
“Alright then,” Shiro chuckles. “Let’s go to…”  
  
The place they end up going is a place Shiro frequents when he is nearing his limit when the stress becomes too much for him to bear. A place he goes to when he wants to treat himself.  
  
The cat cafe.  
  
The store Shiro regularly goes to is tucked in a small building, a little off the centre of the city. It’s not as popular as other cat cafes, which means no horrendous queueing or reservation are needed to get a session there.  
  
And so here the two of them are, sitting down on a plushly carpeted floor, surrounding themselves in cat-lovers’ heaven. Shiro is in bliss.  
  
“Why hello, you’re quite the friendly one,” Allura coos as a Scottish Fold kitten rubs itself against her legs, purring for attention. She strokes the cat gently, smiling at it affectionately.  
  
“That one is called Hime, she’s a new addition to the family,” Shiro reaches over to stroke Hime’s head, earning himself a purr. He’s not the slightest bit ashamed to admit that he follows the store’s blog closely, enjoying the pictures the staff uploads when he can’t spare the time to visit. By now, Shiro knows all the cats by their name.  
  
“Hello, Hime. It’s very nice to meet you. Oh, you’re so adorable.” Allura practically melts when Hime mewls against her hand.  
  
Musashi, one of the adult male American Shorthair, jumps into Shiro’s laps and purrs against his torso. Shiro laughs and obliges the cat with a scratch on its chin. “Hey you,” Shiro greets him, getting a meow in return. Through his visits, Musashi is the one Shiro has grown closest to. He always approaches Shiro on his own, asking for a nice long session of scratching and petting.  
  
“I thought you would be more of a dog person,” Allura comments as she picks Hime up to rub her nose against the kitten.  
  
“I like dogs too, but there’s just something about cats that draws my heart to them.” Chacha, a female munchkin who has also taken a liking of Shiro, sits next to him as if saying that it’s okay to shower her with attention. Who is Shiro to refuse? And so he uses his other hand to scratch her head.

  
“When I can. This place helped me go through my first year of work, it was a hellish time,” Shiro says. Animal therapy does miracles to one’s soul. “I’ve never had my own, but the cats here are very friendly.”  
  
“You’ve never had a cat before? Why not?” Allura raises her head and asks.  
  
“My mother is allergic, and my father doesn’t like keeping animals in the house,” Shiro answers, recalling the many failed attempts where he begged his parents for a pet in his childhood. Shiro had pouted and sat glumly in the corner whenever he got a ‘no’. His father almost relented and considered buying him a hamster after a while, but his mother couldn’t stand rodents even the slightest bit so that idea was instantly shot down. In the end, Shiro never did get the childhood pet he yearned for so much back then.  
  
“Why don’t you keep one now? I had three pet mice when I was younger, and they make such good companies.” Allura takes one of the toys and whips it back and forth, laughing at the kitten who is running around chasing it. Her body may be small, but Hime paws and jumps at the toy with such vigour.  
  
“I thought I wouldn’t have time to care for one. I’d feel bad if I have to leave it all alone for so long…” Shiro thinks of the time he had to stay late in the office. Though the idea of having a cat, perhaps an affectionate one like Musashi, waiting for him at home and ready to keep him company. Or a little bundle of terror that will rip his home apart and act cute to get food. Either one sounds delightful and oh so tempting.  
  
“Lots of people leave their pets for work, and they turn out fine. As long as you love and care for them, I think you’ll manage.” Hime has gotten bored of the toy and is now nudging at Musashi for attention. Musashi ignores the little cat’s invitation to play and instead snuggles into Shiro some more. Shiro can feel his heart melting at the sight. “I can see that you care a lot for the cats here and they clearly love you, and they’re not even yours.”  
  
Whenever Shiro needs to make a decision, he can’t help but analyse his options first. The risks that come with it, the results that may occur—it might have led him into holding back on things. Perhaps now is the time to take a chance. No more overthinking things.

“You know what? I think you’re right,” Shiro says, determination in his voice. He strokes Musashi’s back once more and feels him purring under his hand. He’ll need to prepare a few things, but it’s not impossible to do. It won’t be another Musashi or another Chacha, but Shiro is confident he’ll love the cat he’ll take in just as much, or even more. “I think I’m going to get a cat.”

 “That’s the spirit!” Allura cheers, nudging Shiro’s shoulder with hers, throwing a grin at his way. “Having a pet is hard work especially if you’re not used to it, but I promise you it’ll be worth it.”  
  
Shiro smiles back, and the smile grows into a full-out grin. An uncontrollable excitement starts swelling in his chest, for the first time in a while.

 

* * *

 

“Thanks for today. I had fun,” Allura says when they reach her apartment building. “When you’ve got a cat, you should tell me. I would love to meet them.”  
  
“Don’t worry, I will,” Shiro chuckles. “I’ll see you at the office Monday?”  
  
“I’ll see you then. Good night!”  
  
Shiro watches on as Allura disappears into the building, lingering as he ruminates over his thoughts. Even though they’ve practically spent the whole day together, Shiro had honestly wanted to spend more time with her. Postponing the day’s end by offering to send her home wasn’t enough. He wants to talk to her more; about life, about her pet mice, ask her what makes _her_ feel alive. He’d love to take her to other places that she’ll enjoy, somewhere that will bring a smile on her face—  
  
Oh.  
  
Oh no.  
  
Shiro’s in big trouble.

 

* * *

 

“Spill,” Matt says the instant he puts his lunch tray down and takes the seat opposite Shiro.  
  
“Well good day to you too, Holt,” Shiro replies, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. “What brought you here today?”  
  
“Don’t you play dumb with me, Shirogane. I have ears and eyes _everywhere_ , so I know for a fact that you went on a date yesterday.” Matt jabs a finger into Shiro’s chest accusingly, narrowing his eyes. Shiro puts on his best ‘who, me?’ face. “And I’ve heard whispers about you walking around with Allura, and I’m not stupid not to put two and two together. So you better start explaining.”  
  
Shiro doesn’t know how Matt does it. He’s mysteriously good at getting information he shouldn’t even know about to the point that it’s becoming just a little scary. “It’s not a _date_ date, I just took her to the bookstore and around the city.”  
  
“Still counts as a date,” Matt states stubbornly to which Shiro rolls his eyes. “So what now? Was that thing from the _goukon_ actually legit? Are you dating her? To think I spent the effort of putting down the rumours between you two…”  
  
“What? No!” Shiro reflexively slaps Matt’s hand away and grimaces. He eyes Matt gingerly, wondering if he should tell his friend the whole truth. It’s not like he’s going to get anywhere if he goes about it on his own. “...thought I _might_ be, you know. Interested.”  
  
Matt grows silent, just keeping his eyes one Shiro. “Sorry, can you clarify that? I think I heard you say you’re interested—is this strictly as a friend and colleague, or _interested_ as in you’d like to take her out to dinner and get a house with a white picket fence with her?”  
  
“You’re blowing it out of proportion, but more to the last one,” Shiro nods. “The romantic kind.”  
  
“Holy shit,” Matt whispers under his breath. Another stretch of silence passes between the two of them, and Shiro uses the interval to eat his lunch in peace.  
  
“ _Are you out of your mind!?_ ” Matt hisses, leaning closer so that he could lower his volume. “You do realize that Allura’s the daughter of the CEO, right!? There’s a good reason why I didn’t let the others thinking you and she were together instead of making fun of you!”  
  
“I know, I know,” Shiro raises both his hands to placate his friend. “But, hey! You’ve been telling me to go back into the dating world, so this is me! Taking the first step.”  
  
“Really? You couldn’t have picked someone else for this?” Matt groans, pinching his nose.  
  
“No. Allura, she’s…” Shiro pauses, trying to find the right words. Words to explain how just being next to her makes Shiro feels like he’s taking a breath of fresh air, of how the way she talks can keep him listening for who knows how long, and how the sight of her makes him want to stop and stare. “She’s something else.” Shiro leaves it at that and smiles.  
  
“Ugh, you should’ve seen your face. You practically look like a puppy. Alright so this is happening,” Matt grumbles and raises his head once more to pin Shiro with his gaze. “And you’re 100% sure about this? You seriously, honest-to-god want to give it a go? And might I remind you, this is Allura Altea we’re talking about?”  
  
“Yes, I do.”  
  
And Shiro means every single word he said. He honestly doesn’t know what this will entail—he doesn’t even know if Allura is interested in dating if she’d even consider Shiro as a romantic partner. There are so many unknowns, but for once Shiro refuses to overthink it.  
  
“Alright. We’re doing this. We’re actually really doing this, god helps us all.” Matt takes a deep breath and rubs his face before clapping his hands together. “So here’s my idea on what you can do.”  
  
Shiro listens to Matt talk with rapt attention, occasionally going ‘No Matt, I’m not going to hire a violin quartet when I ask her out’ or ‘No Matt, I’m not going to dress in a tuxedo either’.  
  
He’s going to take Matt’s advice with quite an amount of grain of salt, but it’s nice knowing that his friend’s got his back, even if he doesn’t think it’s Shiro’s best idea.

 

* * *

 

“Allura, can I have a minute?”  
  
“Oh hi, Shiro! Give me a second, I’m almost ready to go,” Allura answers as she puts her things into her bag. When everything is packed, she hauls her bag and saunters over to Shiro. “Did you need something?”  
  
_Come on Shiro, you’re just inviting her out for a meal. No need to get so nervous._ And yet, Shiro’s fists are clammy and it feels like there’s something stuck in his throat. He pushes on.  
  
“I was browsing some blogs the other day, and I found this lunch place that seems nice,” Shiro deliberately freezes his hands in place so that they don't fidget. “I’m wondering if you’d like to go with me.”  
  
“That sounds great!” Allura says, the enthusiasm in her voice sends Shiro some much-needed relief. “Do you have the next Saturday off? If not then we can go on Sunday. We can invite Matt to come along too this time.”  
  
Ah. He had a feeling Allura would see it in a different way.  
  
“Well, I thought we could go just the two of us.” Shiro coughs once into his fist, trying not to blush but failing miserably.  
  
Shiro’s words throw Allura off for a moment as she looks at him searchingly. “You mean...as in a date?”  
  
“A date, yes.”  
  
“A date. With me?” Allura is gaping a little, looking adorably dumbfounded.  
  
“Yes, with you,” Shiro replies again, trying not to sound amused. His worries are starting to dissipate, leaving blooms of hope in its wake.  
  
“Uh. Okay. Um. That would be...nice.” Allura starts chewing her bottom lip, but the edges of her mouth give way to a small smile. “If you don’t me asking why what brings this on?”  
  
“A certain someone told me to be more aware of what I want and to go for it.”  
  
“Oh.” The implication leaves Allura’s eyes wide and her cheeks tinted red, and Shiro can’t help the delighted grin that stretches across his face.

 

* * *

 

Taking a page out of Matt Holt’s Guide To Wooing, Shiro shows up to the date with a bouquet in his hand.  
  
He was worried that it’ll be too much, but when Allura accepts it with a blinding smile that makes his heart clench and his body all tingly and warm, Shiro starts to think that it’s okay to go big from time to time.  
  
Feeling bold, he offers his arm to Allura. Although her hesitance at first almost caused Shiro to backpedal, the touch of her hand looping around the nook of his arm makes his heart sing.  
  
Shiro may not know where this road may lead, but he is sure that he is off to an exciting journey.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Links to the artworks:  
> [Opening Card and Matt & Shiro Bar Scene ](http://phd-pepper-jenn.tumblr.com/post/167157586190/you-cant-hurry-love-read)  
> [Cat Cafe Scene](http://notimetowastewithapseudo.tumblr.com/post/167148595735/heres-the-piece-i-did-for-slivabels-fic-you)  
> [End Card](http://notimetowastewithapseudo.tumblr.com/post/167148595770/the-end-card-i-did-for-slivabels-fic-you-cant)


End file.
